Russia has forgotten about Vietnam, journalist Georgy Zotov writes: Russian sales here are ridiculous numbers: less than half a billion dollars a year. Let me remind you - the Soviet Union "poured" into "Asian comrades" a lot of money: army training, free food and weapons supply, tens of thousands of specialists in military, construction, geology. Soviet Union working in Vietnam. More than 50 000 Vietnamese went to school in the Soviet Union, more than 120 000 worked in the Soviet Union under labor contracts. The US military killed 3 million people in this country, napalm bombs burned hundreds of villages.
So what happened? 42 years after the war, it's impossible to take a step in Hanoi without bumping into American hotels, American-style eateries or Hollywood movie commercials. Young people from the Socialist Republic of Vietnam who come to study in the United States occupy the 8th place among foreign students. The number of students from Vietnam in Russia is only 4,300 people: tuition fees in our country are too expensive.
About 26 years ago, Pushkin and Chekhov's language was the most popular among young people, - said Bao Nguyen, a Russian teacher from Hanoi:
As many as 90% of Vietnamese have learned Lenin's "great and mighty" language (or, at least tried to learn). Regrettably, at present, in Vietnam, only 11,000 children study Russian at Russian specialized schools. The main foreign language in Vietnam is English.
However, the branch of the Russian Language Institute named after Pushkin, which has opened here since 1983, is operating quite successfully: interest in Russia has not completely disappeared. Meanwhile, there are many Russian teachers who have lost their jobs.
Before, I was invited to teach Russian a lot, but now I have to go to Mui Ne resort, work as a guide for tour groups from Russia, or translate menus for cafes. Otherwise, you won't be able to make a living.© Sputnik
Very good statements are heard at a high level, but, in reality, there is no concrete action. Until now, the biggest joint projects in Vietnam are still the ones being implemented since the Soviet era, such as Hoa Binh hydropower plant, Tropical Center and Vietsovpetro Joint Venture.
But, the project to build a nuclear power plant in Vietnam with Russia's support failed. Gazprom Neft has no more projects in Vietnam. Recently, it was reported that Rosneft withdrew from projects in Vietnam.
The Vietnamese side is restricting cooperation with the Russian company “Silovye mashiny” (“Power Machines”), one of the leading electrical engineering companies in the world,” - Vladimir Kolotov told Sputnik. © Sputnik
Journalist Georgy Zotov, just present in Vietnam, said: Russia has not lost Vietnam yet. But if everything is going to stay the same - who knows what will happen next.